sad69
04-20-2004, 06:25 PM
Hey guys,
So we got this new fancy Sharp Photocopier/Scanner/Fax machine and we're having some issues.
Our previous setup was as follows: Fax line came into a fax machine and then out (of a second phone jack on that machine) to a fax modem. In this way, all incoming faxes went to the fax modem -- which then plopped into the receptionist's Outlook inbox for delegation -- and outgoing faxes went out through the fax machine.
So we hoped to do the same thing with the new machine. The Sharp did after all have the dual jacks so we hooked it up exactly the same.
Now we've run into an issue. When we're receiving a fax, since it's technically going through the Sharp machine before it gets to the fax modem, the Sharp is actually "listening" to the fact that it's receiving a fax, and pretends that IT is receiving the fax (even though it doesn't..). So the problem that arises as a result is that we can't send a fax out -- the machine won't allow for it. (This sort of defeats the purpose of a multifunction machine, because you can only do one thing at a time... but whatever...).
So we decided that it would be best to "flip the script" and have the fax line come into the fax modem, and then out to the Sharp machine. In this way, when the fax modem is receiving, it will make the outgoing line dead to the Sharp so that the Sharp couldn't send a fax -- but it would still put your fax in memory so this is good too -- until the fax modem stopped receiving and freed the line to the Sharp.
This would work, except our fax modem doesn't have two jacks!!
So we went out and bought a new fax modem with 2 jacks. Hooked it up like I mentioned and it worked! We can essentially send/receive at the same time. But now there's another issue.
When some clients try to send us a fax, it doesn't go through, but when others try to send, it works no problem. This is as a result of the new fax modem. The old one worked perfectly fine, but it doesn't have 2 jacks so it won't work for our new setup.
We've since gone through 3 new fax modems to fix the problem, but everytime we still run into the same problem -- 2 US Robotics and 1 MultiTech, and our old fax modem was a Diamond Supra.
Now there are a couple options we have, but none that we are satisfied with (the boss is froogle):
-get another fax line: dedicate one to incoming and one to outgoing so the two machines don't bother eachother and we can use the old diamond again.
-get another fax machine (since the old one needed to be replaced anyway) and not use the Sharp for outgoing, hookup the old diamond the way it used to be and hope to not run into the same problem we had with the Sharp.
So sorry for the long post, I just wanted to bring you up to speed. We don't want to pay for another line if we don't have to. We don't want to bring in more machines if we don't need them (smaller office).
So if anyone can help -- or need more info -- please help! Perhaps if you've got a similar setup or use a good fax modem you can recommend, I'd be very appreciative.
Thanks very much in advance!
Sadiq.
So we got this new fancy Sharp Photocopier/Scanner/Fax machine and we're having some issues.
Our previous setup was as follows: Fax line came into a fax machine and then out (of a second phone jack on that machine) to a fax modem. In this way, all incoming faxes went to the fax modem -- which then plopped into the receptionist's Outlook inbox for delegation -- and outgoing faxes went out through the fax machine.
So we hoped to do the same thing with the new machine. The Sharp did after all have the dual jacks so we hooked it up exactly the same.
Now we've run into an issue. When we're receiving a fax, since it's technically going through the Sharp machine before it gets to the fax modem, the Sharp is actually "listening" to the fact that it's receiving a fax, and pretends that IT is receiving the fax (even though it doesn't..). So the problem that arises as a result is that we can't send a fax out -- the machine won't allow for it. (This sort of defeats the purpose of a multifunction machine, because you can only do one thing at a time... but whatever...).
So we decided that it would be best to "flip the script" and have the fax line come into the fax modem, and then out to the Sharp machine. In this way, when the fax modem is receiving, it will make the outgoing line dead to the Sharp so that the Sharp couldn't send a fax -- but it would still put your fax in memory so this is good too -- until the fax modem stopped receiving and freed the line to the Sharp.
This would work, except our fax modem doesn't have two jacks!!
So we went out and bought a new fax modem with 2 jacks. Hooked it up like I mentioned and it worked! We can essentially send/receive at the same time. But now there's another issue.
When some clients try to send us a fax, it doesn't go through, but when others try to send, it works no problem. This is as a result of the new fax modem. The old one worked perfectly fine, but it doesn't have 2 jacks so it won't work for our new setup.
We've since gone through 3 new fax modems to fix the problem, but everytime we still run into the same problem -- 2 US Robotics and 1 MultiTech, and our old fax modem was a Diamond Supra.
Now there are a couple options we have, but none that we are satisfied with (the boss is froogle):
-get another fax line: dedicate one to incoming and one to outgoing so the two machines don't bother eachother and we can use the old diamond again.
-get another fax machine (since the old one needed to be replaced anyway) and not use the Sharp for outgoing, hookup the old diamond the way it used to be and hope to not run into the same problem we had with the Sharp.
So sorry for the long post, I just wanted to bring you up to speed. We don't want to pay for another line if we don't have to. We don't want to bring in more machines if we don't need them (smaller office).
So if anyone can help -- or need more info -- please help! Perhaps if you've got a similar setup or use a good fax modem you can recommend, I'd be very appreciative.
Thanks very much in advance!
Sadiq.